A Butterfly In A Thunderstorm
by serindarkwolf19
Summary: Thundercracker always thought he would be the only one who remained alone. He was sadly mistaken when a Cybertronian femme with a troubled past comes literately crashing into his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **A Butterfly In A Thunderstorm

**Genre: **Friendship/Romance

**Rating: **T for some Cybertronian and human language, some strong violence, some crude humor and sexual content.

**Summary: **Thundercracker always thought he would be the only one who remained alone. He was sadly mistaken when a Cybertronian femme with a troubled past comes literately crashing into his life.

* * *

**~Chapter One~**

_Blindsided_

* * *

It was only a short time after the new outstanding peace between sentient worlds had begun on Cybertron before everyone realized that there something wrong with a certain former Decepticon pacifist.

It had not gone un-noticed by some that they had seen the lonely smile on Thundercracker's face whenever he watched Starscream and Nightbird with their sparkling, Slipstream. And it had not gone unseen when Thundercracker smiled happily but also sadly when it was announced that Nightbird was with spark with Starscream's sparkling. It also had not been missed when a new relationship, like so many others had began popping up out of nowhere between Skywarp and the tiny Cybertronian femme, Glyph.

It was quite adorable, even Thundercracker had to admit. He loved watching his brothers with their loved femmes. He loved watching Skywarp and Glyph over plots for pranks to do, which would eventually involve the twins, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker or some of Soundwave's subunits.

Though, even Thundercracker was still reeling over the idea that Ravage was actually a femme. He had not seen it coming at all. No one had. Ravage and her creator had hidden it well of her true gender. But...it was working out for her. She was now with Cheetor and happily so.

Still, seeing couples together and new relationships building was enough to put a damper on things in a pacifist's mood.

Thundercracker would not deny that it made his spark soar to see so many happy Cybertronians, and even humans being together. He was very happy that his fellow Cybertronians were happy and finding love.

It just...made him feel just a little lonely, that was all.

Thundercracker always felt like a third wheel when he was with his brothers and their new families. Or if he was around the Autobots and their mates. Or even around human couples like Sam and Mikaela or Trent and Anya. Even being around long married couples like Judy and Ron, or Roger and Shirley.

That was why, Thundercracker decided to take a break from it all.

He needed to be away from people. He needed some peace and quiet and not having to watch couples all day long as they took walks around New Iacon's shiny silver parks or Praxius' new developed Crystal Gardens. He didn't want to be anywhere near couples.

So early one morn, sometime in August for Earth, Thundercracker cleared himself from duty and took a flight towards Earth. He wanted to feel the wind on his wings, drift in silver, cool clouds. He wanted to just hear the air screaming past his audios as he flew in high speeds through Earth's sky.

As it turned out, however, things never did go his way and it seemed that Primacron loved meddling in the daily affairs of their children, no matter how little it may seem.

Thundercracker swore, at the end of the orn, that the Dual God had one strange sense of humor and he would have loved nothing more than just go right up to the twin Gods and glare right into their combined face and ask, _"Really? You're going to do this to me now?!"_

But that was only what he would have done if not for a sudden change in his life.

Thundercracker was flying over when it happened. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts of peace and openly admitting of how beautiful Earth truly was when he heard a distant boom. He almost dismissed it if his Warning Hud hadn't gone off. It alerted him that something was coming at him fast.

Startled, he slowed his thrusters and took a look around to see what was coming at him. He figured it might have been an Earth plane and didn't want to collide with it.

That would definitely cause a lot of probably...

Suddenly something very hot, and clearly on fire came whizzing right by him and clipping from tail

Yelping in surprise, Thundercracker jolted forward, spinning g and twirling in the air to catch himself. He felt his altitude levels throw off as he lost his sense of balance. "Slaggit!" He cursed as he shut off his thrusters to allow a freefall while spinning in the air to upright himself.

After falling a good hundred feet in open air, Thundercracker managed to right himself and kick on his thrusters to catch his fall. He looked frantically around for what hit his tail only to see a trail of smoke and fire leading down towards the ground.

"What was that?" He murmured to himself before flying down to follow the trail.

The trail of smoke lead him down to a forest that he recalled being on the borders of the United States and Canada. He frowned as he flew over trees, finally seeing some damaged ones. "Well, looks like I am in the right place." He murmured, still scanning the area for what had fallen.

Thundercracker's hidden optics fell on a cloud of smoke just down below and seeing a damaged trail of fallen trees, he knew that had to be it.

Humming softly to himself, the Seeker kicked on his thrusters to make a swift approach to what he saw a crater. He felt his vents stall for a moment when he also saw a glittering, smoldering pod of some kind in the center.

Immediately he recognized it as a Cybertronian pod. It looked like a new Cybertronian had arrived.

Quickly approaching the crater, Thundercracker transformed in mid air and came crashing down upon the earth, shaking and thundering the entire area. He lumbered over to the crater and looked at the smoking hot pod, frowning. "Hello? Are you online? Do you need a medic?" He called.

For a moment, there was only silence.

And then, the pod began shifting and transforming. Pieces moved back and then snapped into a different place, forming a slender framed Cybertronian. Thundercracker was taken by surprise as he watched the pod transform into a Cybertronian femme.

The femme was a little smaller than Thundercracker and it looked like she was a grounder. Except, she did have wings on her back, hanging low and quite vibrant blue and black. They looked almost like...a fairy's wings, or a butterfly's wings. Her frame was silver in color, of course but her wings were vibrant blue and black and Thundercracker could see white spots were even trailed along the edges of her wings and it did look strange. What made it stranger was a pair of curled metal hovering just out of her helm. They were curled tightly into spirals, sitting there between a short chevron in between...blank optics?

Her optics...they were darkened. She didn't even have them online. But it was clear she was online. She was moving, pushing herself unsteadily to her rather thin peds.

"Hello? Are you all right?" Thundercracker called to her now stepping into the crater.

Helm jerking in Thundercracker's direction, the femme looked over at him. But...her optics was still offline. "Wh-who's there?" The femme spoke with such a soft, delicate voice. Even odder, the antenna uncurled from her helm and turned towards the Seeker, as if trying to sense him.

Thundercracker frowned, tilting his head before stepping closer. He stopped again when those antenna pointed directly at him. "My name is Thundercracker. I am a Seeker. Is there...are you in need of a medic?" He asked frowning as he looked her over.

The femme turned towards him, but still did not online her optics, which Thundercracker was finding quite peculiar. "Uh..." she paused her antenna now moving, pointing down at herself, almost searching before she shook her head with a grimace. "My wings are dented from the landing. But I think that's all."

Thundercracker frowned as he stared at her dark optics. "What about your optics? Why don't you look at me?" He asked carefully.

The femme frowned as if startled before she sighed and shook her head. "Oh, that's right. Of course you would think that." She grimaced before turning the antenna towards him. "My name is Blindside. My optics isn't damaged. Well...not exactly. They haven't worked my whole existence. Since I was sparked from the Well of All Sparks."

Surprised and bewildered, Thundercracker stared, mouth fallen. "You're blind?! Why didn't the medics repair your optics?!" He asked flabbergasted.

Blindside shrugged. "I don't rightly know. I don't really remember too well. And I am not completely blind. I may not be able to see with my optics but I can see with sound and vibrations. I can't see what you look like but I can see your outline by listening to the vibrations that your frame is making." She pointed up at her antenna on her helm. "My audio sensory is what allows me to see your outline. From what I can see on my Hud, you're kind of big." She said with a smile.

Thundercracker would have smiled if he wasn't so bewildered. He stepped closer, being careful so not to startle her. "I have never heard such a case like this. Is there no way to repair your optics?" He asked frowning.

Blindside shrugged again as she kept her head tilted towards him. "No one ever tried. The medics would always just look at my case and wave it off. They said there was no point. My optics was damaged before I even took to frame. The medics just said it was a waste of supplies and time to even try. It was during the energon shortage before..." she cut herself off looking sorrowful.

Thundercracker got it though. He slowly smiled curiously. "How did you find your way here then?" He asked.

"I don't even know where here is. I just heard a Cybertronian frequency and followed it." Blindside stated smiling softly before turning her antenna to point everywhere around them. "But...it is somewhere organic. I am sensing sounds and vibrations everywhere. The wind here...it feels wonderful. If my wings weren't damaged, I would so fly. It feels nice here. What planet is this?"

"It's called Earth." Thundercracker said smiling looking around. "It has become a second home to Cybertronians."

Blindside turned back towards Thundercracker looking curious. "So there are Cybertronians here? Neutrals? It is safe from the war, right?" She asked.

The large Seeker looked over at her, surprised. "So you are a neutral?" He received a nod and smiled. "Then you probably haven't heard then. The war is over. There is no war between Cybertronians. And I am guessing you didn't know of Cybertron's restore, have you?" He asked her, smiling.

Blindside now looked surprised. "The war is over?! Who won?! The Autobots?! The Decepticons?! And what do you mean Cybertron is restored?! You mean its back?!" She asked in between happy and terrified.

Thundercracker smiled and shook his head. He knew he had better be careful of revealing his former fraction to her. He knew most neutrals didn't like either fraction but they really didn't like Decepticons. "No one did. We all got tired of fighting over stupid reasons." He stated.

Blindside froze then cringed back. "Which fraction are you from?" She asked now nervously.

Thundercracker frowned softly, knowing he had no choice now. She had asked. "I won't hurt you, I swear. You are in no danger from me." He said and grimaced when she cringed even further from him. "Decepticon. I used to be a Decepticon. But I promise, I won't harm you. The war is over. Autobots and Decepticons are no more. Neutrals are returning home to Cybertron, which is right outside of Earth's atmosphere. We are now guardians of sentient life. We protect innocent life now." He said reassuringly.

Blindside slowly straightened, her face full of wonder. She was relaxing the Seeker could see. "Do you want to hear something crazy? I believe you. You admit you are a Decepticon but if you wanted to harm me, you would have done it already." She smiled faintly. "Cybertron is really restored of life?" She asked happily.

Thundercracker smiled and held out his servo towards her. "Yes. It is. Want to go see..." he suddenly cut off grimacing at his foolish words. He realized how asinine that sounded. "I apologize."

The femme laughed softly, shaking her head as she moved slightly closer, raising her hand, grasping for his. "It is all right. You meant no offense to a blind femme. Yes. I would love to see Cybertron. Thank you." She said softly.

Taking her hand gently, Thundercracker lightly pulled her forward, helping her from the crater. "I can also take you to the best medics. Ones who would be appalled by the very idea that the medics who refused to help you. And I assure you, they would be more than willing to see if they can't help you." He stated as he guided her carefully away from the crater.

Blindside brightened, her damaged wings fluttering merrily. "That would be appreciated. I doubt they could do anything to help my situation. I have been blind since forever." She said as she grasped his arm with both hands.

"Hmm." Thundercracker chuckled as he watched her carefully. "Don't underestimate them. I can guarantee you, Ratchet would work to exhaustion to find a solution to any medical problem."

The femme stiffened, surprised. "Ratchet? I know that name. He was an intern when my mentor tried convincing the medics to help me. He was there." She said, her voice softening.

Thundercracker frowned, carefully placing his other servo on Blindside's back to guide her. "So you know Ratchet? Did he not try...?" He was asking.

"No, he did! He tried! I remember him fighting with the medic in charge of my case! He wanted so much to help me!" Blindside said brightly. "I appreciated it! Even if he lost the fight in the end. I heard the fight had turned quite nasty."

Thundercracker smiled. "Let me guess? You heard he started throwing wrenches at the medic, didn't he?" He asked with a laugh.

"Yes! How did you know?" Blindside asked in wonder.

Again, Thundercracker laughed as he took his free servo and tapped his helm. "That is just what he does when he throws a fit. If somebot angers him out of sheer stupidity or refuses him of any medical assistance, he starts throwing things. He has a terrible bedside manner, to be honest." He said chuckling before turning his attention away from Blindside. "Thundercracker to New Iacon Space Bridge Center. Come in, Space Bridge." He called into his communications.

There was a crackle in the line before a cheerful voice came on.**_ 'Space Bridge Center to Thundercracker! Go ahead, Big Guy?'_**

"Hey, Wheelie. I need a Space Bridge at my current location. And I need it directed to New Iacon Medical. I have a patient for Ratchet." Thundercracker said right back.

_**'Right on, right on. That is in the general area that we picked up a new Cybertronian signal. Ultra Magnus was leading a team to locate the source. Looks like I need'ta call him back before he gets there. He will be happy that he gets to stay for Rex's bachelor party then. He was pretty grumpy when he got called to duty, y'know? I can' believe those kids are getting married. I mean, I know I haven't known Rex and Elena long but still. So you found the source, huh? Who is it? Anyone we know? Was it an Autobot or a Decepticon?'**_

"Never mind that, Wheelie." Thundercracker growled irritated. "Just send the slagging bridge already!"

_**'All right, already! Sheesh! Don't your turbines in a twist! Here it comes!'**_ The Vehicon on the other line grumbled.

Thundercracker looked down at Blindside when she giggled in amusement and he couldn't help but chuckle with her. He figured that had been a little funny, especially with Wheelie nearly being as bad as Bluestreak when he got talking.

Just then, there was a crack and a vortex of glowing green opened up right before the two. It had startled Blindside, however, making her jump and then clutch onto Thundercracker. He looked down at her in surprise before smiling faintly. "I apologize. I should have warned you about the bridge. Have you not ever traveled by Space Bridge before?" He asked her softly.

Blindside shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "No, not really. It was always space shuttles or someone leading me." She stated. "I think my mentor was always paranoid that I might stumble out of the bridge and get lost. He never let me travel Bridges."

Thundercracker chuckled before securing his arm around her and guiding her towards the bridge. "I promise, I won't let you stumble. Now let's go see Ratchet and see what he could do to help you see for the first time." He told her gently before they stepped though the bridge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **A Butterfly In A Thunderstorm

**Genre: **Friendship/Romance

**Rating: **T for some Cybertronian and human language, some strong violence, some crude humor and sexual content.

**Summary: **Thundercracker always thought he would be the only one who remained alone. He was sadly mistaken when a Cybertronian femme with a troubled past comes literately crashing into his life.

* * *

**~Chapter Two~**

_Darkness Shaded_

* * *

Ratchet was fuming.

Everyone knew better than to interact with the Head Medic of New Iacon Medical when he was fuming like he was. Though, not everyone knew why he was fuming. They only knew he was fuming because of his muttered curses as he stormed around his medbay, looking for things. He was even slamming things around while looking for tools. But one thing was for sure, they all had a feeling it had something to do with the new femme that Thundercracker had brought in.

The moment Thundercracker and the femme stepped through the Space Bridge, Ratchet and Knockout descended on them and began demanding answers to what was wrong with the new femme. They only relaxed when Thundercracker told them that her wings were only bent.

And then their nerves skyrocketed when they found out she was blind.

However, the moment Thundercracker told Ratchet who the femme was and how she knew him, the Head Medic stiffened in realization and recognition and knew who she was. He immediately had her taken to his medbay and started his scans while asking her questions.

Of course, getting to the medbay, Thundercracker was kicked out so the medics could work. He was waiting outside as it was.

"So...you have been blind all your functioning? Why didn't anyone try and repair your optics?" It was Knockout who asked Blindside as he began scans on her bent wings. He wasn't pleased just like Ratchet when he heard that Blindside was blind and had been all of her functioning. He was actually quite annoyed at the very idea that a few medics didn't even bother to fix the problem. There was no way that the medics could have missed the notion that her optics weren't even working.

Blindside turned her antenna towards him and she shook her head. "Yes, unfortunately. The medic in charge of my case said it would be a waste of time and energon to try and see if they could do an operation on my optics. So they never bothered." She told him.

Knockout grimaced as he looked over at Ratchet as he added a loud curse while searching for a special kind of scanner. "Ooooh. No wonder Ratchet the Hatchet is so pissed off." He ducked quickly when a wrench was thrown at him for the ridiculous name. "Hey! Don't scratch my paint! And you could have hit her!"

"You know I never miss my target unless they duck, Knockout! So don't start with me!" Ratchet growled back before coming back over with a scanner in hand. He turned his attention towards a hesitant Blindside, relaxing. "All right, Blindside, I need you to turn your helm towards me and hold perfectly still. Try not to move at all."

Blindside nodded as she did what she was told and held as still as she could. "What are you doing, may I ask?" She asked curiously.

Ratchet held up a flat but thick device right up to her darkened optics and allowed a red beam to start trailing across them with a gentle hum. "I am taking scans of your helm and your optical wires to see where the damage is." He moved the device to the side of her right helm now and did the same. "I need to excess the damage done and figure out where to even start with the repairs. From what I do know about your case, it will be a difficult operation. And perhaps a long one. So we may not be able to work immediately on it. It will take some time." He then moved the device to the left side and scanned her helm before stepping back to see the results.

"What do we got, Doc?" Knockout asked as he finished his scans on Blindside's wings, not looking at the results just yet.

Ratchet didn't answer for a moment as he looked at the results and it was clear he wasn't happy. "Slaggit. The damages are quite severe. More than I would have liked. It looks like the optical systems have repaired over after such a long time." He grimaced now looking at Blindside. "Blindside, who was even in charge of your frame manufacture? It looks like they did a slaggy job with your helm! They didn't even fix the problem when they could have or should have!" He said grumpily.

Blindside only shrugged. "I am...not sure. I never found out who built my frame." She said now concerned.

Sighing, Ratchet put down the scanner before folding his hands together. "Well from what I can see, before you took to frame, your optics were damaged by a forceful impact. Meaning someone must have dropped your frame and didn't even bother to see if there were damages or they did it on purpose. The optical wiring had been torn from the optic lens and they are frayed terribly. We will have to fix those and that does take some time, dealing with how small optical wires can be. Have you ever suffered from painful processor-aches?" He asked firmly.

Blindside paused to think about it before nodding. "Once in a while. Whenever I bumped my helm against something or had really loud noises going off, like explosions. It was only part of the reason I was never put into battle during the war." Her wings and head slumped as she looked sorrowful. "Though, I am...not very useful for war or anything for that matter. I am actually quite useless being blind. A malfunctioned femme who doesn't have very much usefulness or worth."

"Don't ever think like that, Blindside." Ratchet scowled firmly at her, surprising her. "It was not your fault whatsoever that you were damaged. It was the fault of who built your frame and then damaged it before your spark took to it. They were careless with you! That is a ridiculous assumption that they have done. And if I ever find out who built you and if they are still active, I will hunt them down and show them the same carelessness they have shown to you to teach them a lesson."

Blindside smiled meekly at him, thankful for his concern. "Is...there anything you can do?" She asked carefully.

Ratchet paused before grimacing. "Yes, there is something we can do. But...it is a very risky operation. What I will need to do is open up your helm and get to the optical wirings. I will need to cut away the already repaired over wires and then connect them to your optics. However, it will take special tools to do that. I do not have those tools right now. So I will need to build them and then run simulations to make sure we can do it right. Because if something goes wrong, anything at all, we can cause more damage than good and you will end up being blinded for more than likely the rest of your functioning. I do not want to mess up, Blindside. I want to try to help you only once. Because once is the only way of doing it. If I do make a mistake, I could strip the optical wires entirely and then you will never be able to see." He stated.

Smiling faintly, Blindside nodded in understanding. "I thank you so much for trying. I have been blind my whole functioning. I think I can stay blind a little longer. I don't see anything wrong with that." She stated gratefully.

Ratchet smiled and nodded. He was going to do anything he could to help her. He refused to allow her to see only darkness any longer.

"By the way, your wings are fascinating, Blindside." Knockout piped in, looking at the results. "Would you mind spreading them out so I can see them better? What in Primacron's name is your altmode? I have never seen such fragile wings like these!"

Ratchet now turned his attention to the wings and frowned to see that indeed the wings did look fragile. They had a metal apparatus look to the frames but the inside, the wings their selves looked more like...sheet metal, very thin and almost transparent with the exception of the blue, white and black coloring of them.

Blindside, however, looked sheepish as she flicked her wings nervously before she began to spread them out for the two medics to see.

And both medics had their vents nearly stall at the sight.

In truth be told, Blindside had wings that matched a Blue Monarch Butterfly's wings. They were blue in the center of back lining with four black spots in the larger wings and two in the lower. White dots lined around the edges of the black like jewels. They were impressive and quite beautiful.

From the medbay window, watching the proceedings, Thundercracker did stall, his optics wide in awe as he saw Blindside's wings. He didn't think he had ever seen wings so beautiful as he did now.

"Wow." Knockout breathed as he saw the wings. "Now those are quite lovely. So you're a Maximal then, aren't you?"

Blindside, her vents spun softly as if embarrassed, also blushed in the face. "I suppose so. I am supposedly a triple changer. My altmodes are of a Flutterbot and a Cybertronian Jet Bike. So I am a cross between Aerial and Grounder. I never really used my Flutterbot altmode outside in public very much, though. My mentor was a Grounder and he was never really fond of fliers. He wasn't even happy that I was part Aerial. He forbade me to fly where others could see me. He said he was ashamed of my wings and even wanted to clip them so I couldn't fly ever again. But...I begged him not to." She explained.

Ratchet scowled as he shook his head. "You are a flier. Did he never let you fly?" He received a helm shake. "I am surprised you never went insane from the lack of flight." He said scowling.

Blindside cringed and both medics stiffened.

"You...you did, didn't you?" Knockout asked in surprise.

As if embarrassed and ashamed, Blindside turned her helm away, looking sullen. "I suppose as my new medics, I should warn you. You may find out sooner or later, though I really hope never. But I am...also...I do have a split personality unit. It...my mentor kept me from flying and...it didn't settle well with my processor. It...split. While I am Blindside, my other half is known as Blindspot." She looked frantically to the two, as if sensing discomfort from them. "I promise, I have it under control! I haven't lost control of Blindspot in such a while now! I won't let myself lose that control, I swear!" She cried.

Ratchet gently touched her shoulder plates, making her flinch. "Relax, we are not judging you, Blindside. But we do need to know what happens if you lose control. What is Blindspot like?" He asked carefully.

Blindside slumped, miserably. "When I get really scared or angry, or really full of anxiety, Blindspot activates. She is...I don't usually remember what she does. All I know is she does get violent with the source. I have woken up around chaos, things destroyed, some...bots hurt. My mentor sometimes would have gouges in his armor from Blindspot. It was why...he kept him me isolated from others. He wouldn't let me play with other sparklings or younglings. The last time I played with others, I lost my control and Blindspot injured the other sparkling." She said sorrowfully.

Ratchet and Knockout looked at her with sympathy, both appalled by this. They couldn't imagine what it was like for her.

"Who was your mentor? You speak of him in the past tense so he isn't active any more, is he?" Ratchet asked softly.

Blindside grimaced and lowered her head. "No, he is active. But he...he isn't someone I want to be around anymore. That was why I was alone. I escaped from him and keeping me locked up." She sensed their surprise and she turned her darkened optics towards them, nodding sullenly. "He kept me locked up because I kept trying to go out and fly to keep Blindspot from raging. So...I was kind of a prisoner. His name is Livewire."

Ratchet frowned, not recognizing the name but Knockout looked alarmed. He hissed and stepped back away from Blindside. "Damn. Livewire, huh?" He turned sharply from her and Ratchet, tapping his helm. "Knockout to Lockdown. You better come to the medbay now. I think we have a job for you and Prowl. You might want to bring Optimus and Megatron too. Megs will want to hear what we got to say."

_**'Lockdown to Knockout, Prowl and I are on route. We'll grab 'em on the way over. Be there in five megaclicks.'** _Lockdown's gruff Southern voice came over on the comms.

"Who is he, Knockout?" Ratchet asked seriously, realizing the urgency in Knockout.

Knockout looked seriously back at Ratchet, noting how stiff Blindside had become. "Livewire is a twisted mech, Ratchet. He was a Decepticon Scientist under Shockwave. But he was canned when Shockwave found out he was stealing some of his work. He has a pretty hefty bounty on his head." He stated before waving over at the window at Thundercracker.

A second later, the door opened and the large blue Seeker came in, looking curious. "What is it, Knockout?" He asked frowning.

Knockout motioned to Blindside, whose wings were now twitching in worry. "Blindside is in need of protection, Thundercracker. Until we can get her optics fixed, she needs to be with somebot at all times. She is Livewire's charge." He nodded when Thundercracker stiffened, his optics growing hard at that name. "He will probably be coming after her. You know him. He doesn't like things running away from him or anything. So you found her, she is now yours to protect." He said firmly.

Thundercracker looked at Blindside with concern but also seriously before nodding. "I will protect her at all times. Did you contact Lockdown then?" He asked firmly.

Knockout nodded as he looked back at Blindside, who was starting to tremble. "You know about Livewire's reputation, do you? That is why you ran away, isn't it?" He asked her and she nodded solemnly. "Knowing Livewire, did he ever hurt you?" He asked seriously.

"Sometimes. Whenever Blindspot was the one who rebelled against him, he would lock me up after a beating." Blindside said with her head down.

"Blindspot?" Thundercracker asked trying to hold back a growl of anger by hearing about her being beaten.

"Blindside, Thundercracker, has revealed that she has developed a split personality named Blindspot." Ratchet said grimly. "She told us it was because Livewire refused to let her go flying because of her blindness."

Thundercracker couldn't stop the growl now. His wings twitched at the very thought that a flier was refused to fly. He knew very well that being grounded constantly did make one flier, Seeker or not, did things to one's processor. He didn't like it at all.

It wasn't long before the medbay doors open and four mechs entered. Optimus Prime and Megatron lead Prowl and Lockdown in, all looking serious but curious. Especially when they saw a trembling femme sitting on a medic berth.

"Hello. Who is this? This is the femme that you found, Thundercracker?" Optimus asked now smiling in his friendly way.

Thundercracker nodded as he practically stood protectively over Blindside, his face a mask of firm seriousness. "Her name is Blindside. She is as her name states." He said firmly.

The four newly arrived mechs frowned curiously as they looked at her.

"Blindside is optically damaged, Optimus. She has been all her functioning." Ratchet stated to fill them in and he received bewildered looks. "She has explained to us that before she was sparked, her frame was damaged and the medics who worked on her refused to repair her optics. But that isn't why we asked for you to come meet her. Blindside, please tell them who your mentor was."

Blindside lowered her head but slowly nodded as she turned her antenna towards the four new mechs, pausing in surprise and alarm when she picked up their size on her Hud. "Wow. You two are big." She said towards Optimus and Megatron.

It couldn't be helped but all of the mechs in the room chuckled in amusement.

But then Blindside grew somber again. "My mentor was Livewire. He is the one who raised me." She said softly.

And now, Lockdown and Megatron stiffened, their red optics growing wide at the news. They had not expected that one.

"Livewire? That twisted son of a glitch of a scientist?" Lockdown asked then smirked. "I know for a fact that there is a pretty big bounty on his head. I been trying to track him down for a while. Where is he at, sweetspark? If ya don't mind me going after him."

"Of course she doesn't mind. Apparently, Livewire did a pretty nasty number on her all her functioning." Thundercracker growled.

A few glanced at him but Blindside smiled softly and grateful for him.

"Livewire? I am not familiar with that name. Who is he?" Optimus asked looking at Megatron.

Megatron growled at the name, looking away. "A Shockwave wannabe. He always looked up to my former Scientist Chief. Followed him around like a turbodog. It really annoyed Shockwave when he couldn't turn around to find Livewire right there on his aft. He was pretty twisted metal even for Shockwave's standards. And then Shockwave burst his gears when he threatened to offline him if he didn't back the frag off and leave him alone. Livewire did not like that. So out of revenge, he tried stealing some of Shockwave's work once and it fragged us both off. Shockwave put a bounty on his head, dead or alive. He is a nasty piece of work to be honest. Dangerous when cornered." He looked right at Blindside, frowning. "I didn't know he had a youngling. I thought I heard he might have had some femme living with him but I was under the assumption that it might have been a mate."

Blindside shook her head, smiling faintly. "No, that was me. He...uh...well, he requested for a sparkling and he got me. But..." she lowered her head sorrowfully. "When he found out I was blind, he was pretty mad. He raised me so it wouldn't look suspicious if he had gotten rid of me. I know he had some enforcers watching his trail. He was under suspicion of being a Decepticon. And abandoning a sparkling was considered a cruel thing to do." She stated.

Megatron, Thundercracker and Knockout growled at that. They surely didn't like that statement.

"If Livewire told you that, I will hunt him myself and rip his head off." The ruby medic growled, startling Blindside.

Megatron nodded in agreement. "That is not true. Even the Decepticons wouldn't have abandoned sparklings. What it was, Blindside, Livewire was embarrassed to have a malfunctioned sparkling that some AUTOBOT," he shot each former Autobot the look, who grimaced. "Damaged." He finished and saw the femme had lowered her helm, looking pained. The former tyrant reached over and lift her head again, much to her surprise. "Just because you are malfunctioned does not mean you are useless or worthless. And I assure you, if Livewire does come looking for you, he won't get very far. Because there is no better protector than a Seeker. Thundercracker will keep you safe. And seeing our two best medics are determined to repair you," he glanced to Ratchet and Knockout, who set their selves to look rightfully determined. "You will not remain damaged."

Blindside smiled faintly at him, her antenna directly aimed at him. "Thank you, Lord Megatron. I appreciate that." She stated.

Optimus Prime looked at Blindside, keeping his peaceful and friendly energy running so not to frighten her. "Blindside, what were you running from in the first place? What did Livewire do to you?" He asked softly.

What he really wanted to ask was how much danger was she in from the ex-Decepticon?

Sensing that question, Blindside lowered her helm as if embarrassed or ashamed. "He used to be exceptionally cruel, My Prime. Beat me whenever my dark side came out and even then, he would lock me up from flying. He also..." she vented softly. "He also trained me how to be a thief."

Everyone stiffened at that.

"What better thief than a blind femme?" Blindside asked solemnly. "He used me to steal things. Weapons, energon, credits. All for his own use. No one ever expected a blind femme to steal from them. I grew tired of it. I didn't want to be a criminal like him. I even told him as much and he beat me until my darker half, Blindspot would come out to defend me. I...just want to live life in peace. Not fear. That's why I ran away from him. He would never allow me to live the way I wanted to. It was always for himself." She said softly.

Optimus nodded once before looking at Thundercracker. "Thundercracker, Blindside will be under your protection. Keep her safe, help her adjust to her new life, here on Cybertron. When Ratchet and Knockout finds a way to repair her optics, only then she will be fine on her own." He looked to Prowl and Lockdown next, who stiffened in respect to him. "Prowl and Lockdown, locate Livewire's whereabouts, arrest him and bring him back to Cybertron for trial. We will not allow him to harm our new Cybertronian any longer. She is not some tool for his disposal for theft and criminal activity."

"On it, Prime." Lockdown gruffed before tapping Prowl's chassis as he turned away. "C'mon, Prowlers. Let's get to work."

Prowl nodded as he turned and followed after him.

Thundercracker turned to Blindside and offered his servo and a light smile. "Come, Blindside. Why don't we show you your new home?" He offered.

Blindside smiled and took his servo, allowing him to help her down from the berth. "Thank you, Thundercracker. I'd love a tour." She stated as she allowed him to loop her arm around his and led her out.

"What do you think, Megatron?" Optimus asked as they watched the two fliers leave.

Megatron grew serious as he watched Blindside follow after Thundercracker out of the medbay. "She is lying." He said bluntly, surprising the other mechs in the room. "Not about who she is or not what she has been through. I can see she was honest about that. But I believe she has been through more than she has told us. I know from Shockwave that Livewire had been working on some science experiment that he had refused to share with even us. Livewire did try and steal of Shockwave's science but he also fled when I ordered that he go through a Cortex Patch transfusion. I wanted to know what Livewire was up to. What he was doing. He fled and I believe he was hiding something that deals with Blindside." He looked back at Optimus. "Blindside is hiding something from us. If not in fear of our reaction to what horrors she has been through. In time, we need to find out what Livewire really did to her."

Slowly and calmly, Optimus nodded in agreement. He just hoped they could find out the truth and it wasn't too terrible that it would affect their new peaceful life on the two planets they now called home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **A Butterfly In A Thunderstorm

**Genre: **Friendship/Romance

**Rating: **T for some Cybertronian and human language, some strong violence, some crude humor and sexual content.

**Summary: **Thundercracker always thought he would be the only one who remained alone. He was sadly mistaken when a Cybertronian femme with a troubled past comes literately crashing into his life.

* * *

**~Chapter Three~**

_Settling In_

* * *

Blindside was completely enthralled, Thundercracker realized as he lead her down the streets of New Iacon. He watched as her antenna swished around at all of the sounds and vibrations of the city and her blank optics grew only wonder and a smile formed on her face.

Since the restoration of Cybertron, it had become a wonder. Cybertronians, humans and even any kinds of alien beings wandered down the streets of all of the cities, towns and even states of Cybertron. It was full of life of all kinds. It was not the same Cybertron that all Cybertronians remembered. The city-state of New Iacon was the star of Cybertron, just like its former glory days. It was still in the middle of construction of its restore but it was coming marvelously.

Beautiful buildings of gold, silver, Cybertronian alloy, Earth metals and even some of the hardest stone on Earth were being used to rebuild the city. Some buildings already towered in the sky from swift, but sturdy construction from the Constructicons and even some of the newly returned Wreckers.

That had been a laugh in Thundercracker's opinion. He had chuckled for days when that group of Autobots made their return. He remembered how the Wreckers found out about Smokescreen and they immediately went after him, angry and annoyed that he had went and gotten himself captured by Quintessons, forcing them to search all over the Solar System for him.

The Wrecker, Bulkhead had been storming about it but he proved to many that he had just been so worried about "The Little Guy" Smokescreen by storming up to the young Praxian and giving him a metal crushing embrace.

Thundercracker usually didn't have tolerance for big, clumsy oafs like Bulkhead, who clearly was that, but he found himself fond of the Wrecker. He had seen, perhaps, a big, clumsy oaf but he also saw quite an intellect, loveable mech in him too. Bulkhead was not the brightest mech in Cybertron but he wasn't stupid either. Not like how some made him out to believe.

And it was Bulkhead who Thundercracker and Blindside ran into first while on their tour.

"Thundercracker, mech! How's it going, buddy?!" The booming voice of the Wrecker shouted over the many different sounds of the city.

Thundercracker felt Blindside jump and clutch tightly onto him, which he smiled before looking at the large green mech coming towards them. "It is going well, Bulkhead. How about you?" He asked as he looked at the Autobot.

Bulkhead shrugged as he lumbered closer before stopping. "Ah, you know. The usual. Just finishing up the New Towers. We will be working on the new South Iacon Living Homes next orn." He was about to go on but then he noticed Blindside clinging on the Seeker. "Huh? Hey, Thundercracker, who's this? Did you go and get yourself a femmefriend without telling me?" He asked chuckling as he nudged the Seeker.

Blindside squeaked as her fans turned on as she drew slightly away from Thundercracker while he scowled at Bulkhead. "Don't be so lewd, Bulkhead. I just met her this orn. This is Blindside. She just arrived morning. I am just showing her around New Iacon City. Blindside, this Bulkhead. He is one of the Autobot Wreckers and Engineers." He introduced them both.

Blindside smiled as her antenna pointed at the large green mech before she nodded politely. "It is nice to meet you, Bulkhead." She said sweetly.

Bulkhead frowned slightly as he took her appearance in before he tilted his head to the side with a smile. "Nice to meet you too, pretty femme. I'm glad you came home safely." He said out loud, all the while sending a curious ping to Thundercracker on the private line. _**'Hey, TC. Why is her optics not working? Was she hurt on the landing or something?'**_

Thundercracker was only too glad of Bulkhead's respect to not just bursting out with the question like he usually would. _**'No, she wasn't injured on the landing. Apparently she has been blind all her functioning. She uses her sensor antenna to see. She can only see outlines, however and not actual vision through sounds and vibrations.'**_ He explained through the private line.

"Thank you, Bulkhead. That is very kind of you." Blindside said to The Wrecker's greeting. Her fans were clicked on to his comment of her being pretty. "That is the first time ever told me I am pretty though. I never I was. My mentor always said I looked like a bug bot and I always thought others didn't like bug bots because they were ugly."

Both Thundercracker and Bulkhead stared at her, their silent conversation halted.

"Mech, your mentor must have been the blind one then. Because you are pretty." Bulkhead blurted out sounding annoyed.

"Bulkhead!" Thundercracker scowled.

But Blindside laughed as she patted the Seeker's arm. "It is okay, Thundercracker. I am not offended. It is obvious that I am blind. So you don't need to private chat each other. Say what you will. I won't be mad." She sensed the bewildered looks she had gotten from both mechs and giggled again. "I told you. I can see through sounds and vibrations. My sensory also pick up frequencies in other Cybertronians, which also includes private channeling. I can tell when two are having a private conversation."

"Can you hear what we were saying?" Thundercracker asked quite fascinated.

Blindside shook her head. "No. I just hear the buzzing that private lines make when they are activated and are being used." She told them.

Bulkhead grinned as he stared at her. "You know, I am betting Jazz'll want to meet her then. Him and Soundwave. If she can pick up frequencies like that, they might want to test her out." He said.

Thundercracker grimaced looking over at him. "I highly doubt that will be any significance to them, Bulk. She has damaged optics. If you're thinking what I think you are thinking, it would be too dangerous for her." He stated.

Now Blindside looked curious about what they were talking about. And rather, who they were talking about. "Who is Jazz and Soundwave?" She asked curiously.

Thundercracker looked down at her and smiled. "Former Autobot and Decepticon Third in Commands. They both help another former Autobot, Red Alert run an Intelligence and Security Agency to keep an optic out for trouble. It makes it good because Soundwave is also telepathic. He can read processors. He only reads those that look suspicious. He doesn't always read everyone because of privacy issues. He gives everyone their space of thoughts unless they look too suspicious. Jazz is a really cheerful fellow for being a former spy. He is really good at finding out information on things and people. Everyone loves him for his easy going, carefree attitude." He explained to her.

Blindside, however, looked highly uneasy at the sound of the former Thirds' backgrounds. Especially of Soundwave's. "I...uh...don't think it would be a good idea to meet this Soundwave if he is a telepath. I think if he ever tried, he might upset...um..." she paused glancing nervously at Bulkhead. "Me. I am pretty private with my thoughts and I would like to keep it that way."

"Ah, it wouldn't be so bad. Soundwave is a good mech. He wouldn't force his way into your processor." Bulkhead said trying to be reassuring. It wasn't working though.

Thundercracker saw discomfort in Blindside though and smiled softly. "Don't worry, Blindside. If you would rather not meet Soundwave, we would never force you to. He is a good mech but he wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable at all. If at a later date you would like to meet him, I can arrange it. But not until you are more comfortable with the notion. Would you like to meet Jazz then?"

Grimacing, Blindside shook her head, quite shyly. "I am sorry. But not really. Not yet anyway. Jazz sounds like a delightful mech but...I am still not used to being around too many Cybertronians. I spent too much time isolated from others because of Livewire." She said apologetically.

Thundercracker just smiled softly at her before lightly patting her back, being wary of her wings. "It is all right. Do not apologize. We will take things slow for you so you can adjust." He looked over at Bulkhead, who was curious about it all. "Bulkhead, I think we are going to continue on our tour around New Iacon. Talk to you later?" He asked friendly like.

Bulkhead nodded with a grin. "Sure thing, Thundercracker. I need to get back to work anyway. Roadbuster's been pinging me for a megaclick now. But I didn't wanta be rude or anything." He looked at Blindside, smiling. "It has been nice to meet you, Blindside. Welcome back to Home. Hope to see ya sometime." He greeted her before turning and leaving.

All the while, he was thinking, _'Poor kid. She seems pretty nice but really shy from everyone.'_

Blindside smiled after Bulkhead before looking up at Thundercracker. "He...seems nice." She said with a giggle.

Smiling back, Thundercracker nodded. "He really is. He can be lewd, loud and obnoxious sometimes but he has a good spark. He is what the humans like to call a big teddy bear." He said and earned another giggle from Blindside. "Shall we?"

Blindside nodded smiling as she clutched onto the Seeker's arm and allowed her to lead her on.

The tour went on with some confrontations like the one with Bulkhead. Thundercracker and Blindside had ran into a few Cybertronians, all from both former fractions. They had even ran into Skywarp, Thundercracker's youngest brother, and his new spark mate, Glyph.

Blindside could honestly say that Skywarp was a riot. Especially when the first expression of him was warping right on top of Thundercracker, nearly making both of them go to the ground. It was only thankfully the large blue Seeker had sensed his brother coming at the last second and had braced himself for the inevitable impact.

After the impact, Blindside got to listen to Thundercracker yell at Skywarp while she and Glyph both giggled madly when Skywarp apologized over and over. But once the verbal beating Skywarp had gotten was over, Blindside was introduced and both Skywarp and Glyph welcomed her warmly and excitedly. She instantly liked them both from their excessive friendliness. They treated her like she was already their best friend and it warmed her spark.

They also had a run in with Soundwave, much to Blindside's unease but it had been unavoidable. He had been looking for Thundercracker anyway. He had wanted to give Starscream a datapad but since the Seeker was out of the city with his family, he had no choice but to give it to Thundercracker. It was only to Blindside's relief that she never felt an inkling of telepathic energon even touch her processor. She was sure it was Thundercracker who told Soundwave of her unease about it and so he kept his telepathy locked in tight so he wouldn't even catch a second of thought from her.

Soundwave did welcome Blindside warmly before he lumbered away, returning to where he had come from. It was when he was gone did the femme feel relief.

After the orn was over, Thundercracker took Blindside to his home where she would be staying for the while as Ratchet and Knockout worked out how to do her optical operation. He lived in a high Cybertronian building which was built for Aerials like himself and it was called New Iacon's Vos apartments.

Thundercracker's suite was a wide open but very warm and welcoming place. Most of the walls inside were painted of open skies all around the room with a large wall of glass and a balcony for a wonderful sight to see of the Cybertronian city. It was very beautiful and comfortable for an Aerial.

However, it was a shame that Blindside couldn't see it. She felt it but she would have loved to see the gleaming sight of the glorious city.

"I have an extra room for you to use. It is usually for one of my brothers, mostly Starscream, for when he gets into a fight with his mate and needs a place to recharge for the night." Thundercracker said as he lead her into the large spacious room. "But for now, it is yours. There is a private wash rack to your left if you wish to clean up. There is also a private energon converter to the right center from where you are standing. If you need anything, feel free to call for me. I will just be in the next room."

Blindside wandered around the room, her antenna sweeping everywhere before turning towards the Seeker with a smile. "Thank you so much, Thundercracker. You are so kind to one so undeserving." She said lightly.

Thundercracker just smiled back, shaking his head. "You are deserving of kindness, Blindside. I am sorry that you haven't had much of it in your functioning. But you are here now and you will receive it from myself and many others. I will leave you to settle down. When you're ready, I can bring you some energon." He told her.

Again, Blindside smiled gratefully and listened as Thundercracker turned and left the room, letting the door swish close to give her some privacy.

Only then did her smile fall and she looked serious.

"It's too bad you are too kind. Especially to a former thief." Blindside whispered, sadly. "Spot, we're in."

There was a moment's pause with only the gentle sound of click and vibrating coming from Blindside's own frame. She turned her head as if looking at someone that wasn't even in the room, however, in a sense, she was not alone.

**"Good job, sister personality. Now let's figure out how we are going to convince that Seeker to show us where they are keeping that Prime Weapon."** The femme spoke softly, only her voice now took on a new sound. She sounded deeper but also more sultry. It was as if someone else was speaking through her. She did not sound as innocent as she did before.

"Do we really have to do this? They are so kind to us. Stealing from them would be wrong." Blindside spoke once again sounding timid and innocent.

The darker voice scoffed through her own vocoder, taking on the sultry voice once again. **"Of course we do, Side! It is the only way of getting rid of that aftpipe, Livewire, and getting myself out of your frame! I want my own body I am tired of sharing frames with a weak sparked little glitch like you!"** The voice growled.

Blindside's head lowered and she looked saddened by those harsh words coming from her dark personality. "I...I am sorry Livewire did..." she was saying.

The dark voice took over again, letting out a sigh. **"Look, I am sorry. I didn't mean to be so harsh. But you know it's true. You are weak sparked, or rather too soft sparked. You always were. That was why I was even created. You couldn't defend yourself and so you created me to protect you. But how I am I supposed to protect you when we have to shift between us? It will be better if I had my own frame so I can protect you. And using that Prime Weapon we heard Shockwave talk about all those vorns ago is the key. It will get me out of you and then I will use it on Livewire so he will stop chasing us. It is the only way we can truly be free, Side. Where we can stop running. Now are you with me, Little Butterfly?"** The personality asked firmly.

Blindside sighed but nodded as she went over to sit down. "Yes, Blindspot. I am. I want to be free too. But you promise not to hurt any of these good Cybers?" She asked softly.

"I promise." The darker voice spoke through her. "Now let's figure out a way to convince Thundercracker to show us where the Spark Extractor is."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **A Butterfly In A Thunderstorm

**Genre: **Friendship/Romance

**Rating: **T for some Cybertronian and human language, some strong violence, some crude humor and sexual content.

**Summary: **Thundercracker always thought he would be the only one who remained alone. He was sadly mistaken when a Cybertronian femme with a troubled past comes literately crashing into his life.

* * *

**~Chapter Four~**

_The Meeting of New Friends  
_

* * *

The next morning, Thundercracker decided to take Blindside to go meet some more of his friends. He figured she needed to make some friends of her own and who better to be friends with than a few femmes? He knew that she could use some good influences in her new life, ones who would never treat her wrong and would probably be a good thing for her socializing.

Of course, he did warn her what he planned to do and she was nervous about meeting new friends.

"What if they don't like me because of my situation?" Blindside asked worriedly as she clung onto Thundercracker's arm as he lead her down the streets of New Iacon towards the parkway.

Thundercracker smiled down at her before patting her hand. "Trust me. They will like you. They pretty much like anyone they meet. Most of them are former Autobots but three of them are former Decepticons, or are mated to former Decepticons. I promise, they will not think ill of you, Blindside. There is no reason they should." He tried to reassure her as they moved ever so closer to the park.

Blindside was not entirely reassured. She wasn't sure she would fit in with new femmes. She never really had friends before in her life all because of her mentor, Livewire. She had tried the very few times when she was a sparkling and none of the femmes she ever tried befriending accepted her because of her disability. They had called her a blind malfuction and made fun of her. She had even been teased and taunted and picked on by other sparklings. They had always thought it was funny to make fun of her and play jokes on her just because she couldn't see them. It had left her pretty scarred in her life when meeting new faces. She just did not want to go through something like that ever again and it scared her to think that she might relive her troubled sparklinghood now.

But she instantly forgot her nervousness when they approached the park. Especially when she heard the giggling of sparklings.

Blindeside's head snapped up and her antenna straightened out in search for the source before her vents caught when her sensors picked up several small forms racing about a small playground. She couldn't believe what she was picking up.

"Are those...sparklings?!" The femme gasped in wonder and awe.

Thundercracker smiled and nodded as he led her closer. "Yes. They are. Primus has gifted femmes the ability to spark sparklings without the use of the All Spark. The sparklings you may be seeing or hearing before you are the first batch, including new ones. One of them is my very own adopted niece, the daughter of Starscream and his mate, Nightbird, who is that femme over there with the others." He pointed off to where all of the mothers were talking and laughing with one another but noticed that Blindside was too enthralled with watching the sparklings. "Do you want to meet them?" He asked smiling.

Blindside flicked one antenna towards him before managing a small smile and nodding. "I have...have never seen a sparkling for hundreds of vorns." She said meekly.

Thundercracker smiled softly before turning his head and giving a light whistling whirl.

One of the sparklings, the small Seeker femme perked up when she heard him before looking over. A bright smile formed on her face before she turned and ran towards Thundercracker and Blindside. "Unc'a Thun'er!" She cried cheerfully before leaping towards the big blue Seeker.

Thundercracker released Blindside just in time to catch her in his arms and hold her close as he lightly tapped his forehelm against hers, making the little femme giggle. "Hello, Little Slipstream. How are you today?" He asked softly as he looked fondly at his little niece.

Slipstream giggled as she ran her tiny hands along his face, her wings twitching happily as she looked into his red optics with her bright blue ones. "I am great! Mama brough' me to play wit' my friends! We playing tag!" She said brightly before she noticed the shy looking Blindside standing behind her uncle. She tilted her head to the side so she could get a better look at her. "Unc'a, who's that?"

Thundercracker smiled as he turned and looked at Blindside, who drew back a little, looking quite bashful in deed. He knew she was feeling quite nervous and uneasy but he could see the awe and wonder in her very frame as she twitched her antenna towards Slipstream, then to the other sparklings as they came over, looking up at her in their own curious wonder. "Slipstream, sparklings, I want you to meet a new friend. This is Blindside. She is new to Cybertron. And she has not seen any sparklings for a long time now. Say hello, young ones." He stated to them.

A merry round of hellos and greetings rang out as the sparklings greeted the new femme.

Blindside waved shyly back at them with a smile as she took in all of the sounds and vibrations the sparklings were making. She paused to notice that the femmes were now moving towards them, all smiling in curiousity when they saw her. She dipped her head and twitched her wings which earned gasps from the sparklings.

"Unc'a! Her wings! They so pwetty! Can I see them bett'a!?" Slipstream asked brightly optic'ing Blindside's folded wings. And even as she had asked, the other sparklings began pleading to see the wings too.

"Ah, ah. It is not me you ask, Slip. Ask Blindside nicely and maybe she will show you her wings." Thundercracker told his niece and the sparklings.

"Blin'side, can we see your wings, pwease!" Slipstream and the sparklings begged looking up at Blindside pleadingly.

Even though she could not see it, Blindside knew that there were a few buggy optics and derma sticking out in pleading. She could hear it through the little ones' voices. And it made her smile shyly as she slowly began opening her wings, spreading them out. She heard a collection of gasps from the sparklings and even the femmes as they saw Blindside's wings. It almost made her regret it and close her wings.

"Oh my god, those wings are beautiful!" One of the femmes said in awe. And her compliment had the other femmes nodding and agreeing as they looked at the wings with approval.

The comment, however, made Blindside brighten as she turned her anntena towards the femmes.

One of them noticed and she approached, smiling warmly. "Hello. You must be Blindside." She said softly now extending her hand in friendship. She smiled at the sudden baffled look on the new femme's face. "My designation is Elita One. I am Optimus Prime's spark mate. He told me about you. I was expecting to meet you sooner or later. Welcome home to Cybertron, Blindside. It warms my spark greatly to know one of my femmes made it home safely." She said gently.

Blindside tilted her head curiously and wonder. She knew who Elita One was by reputation in the early wars. She wondered why a Princess of Primes would waste her time to speak so warmly when she was a nobot. "Your femmes?" She asked shyly as she shook Elita's hand.

Elita One continued to smile. "I was the Autobot Femme Commander during the war. I consider all femmes a part of my own and will protect them at all cost. That includes you, my dear youngling." She said softly before looking to the other femmes as they moved closer, all smiling. "Why don't I introduce you to some of your fellow femmes?"

Blindside ducked her head shyly, her wings fluttering just as the same.

The femmes all noticed but chose not to question it. They all knew the new femme might have been quite uneasy about meeting new people. Some of them even knew the situation by their mates.

"Hi, Blindside. I am Nightbird, Starscream's wife, or rather mate, and TC's sister in law." The black and silver ninja femme said warmly.

"I am Spitfire."

"Chromia."

"Hello, I am Sunriser. Sometimes, if you want, you can call me Dawn."

"I'm Moonracer."

"The name's Maximum Wave. Call me Max!" Said the wild and perky one of the lot.

"And I am Airachnid." The last femme said and had Blindside shying back a little when her sensors picked up what she looked like. She optic'd that one nervously and received a light laugh. "Oh, relax. I might be a spider femme, but the only bot I bite is my spark mate, Lockdown."

"Eeeewwww! TMI, Aira!" The femme, Chromia laughed with the others and even Blindside shared a shy smile and laugh.

A light pat on her leg however made the Flutterbot turn her sensors down and found a sparkling trying to get her attention.

"Bli'side, can I feel yo'r weengs?" The little femme asked innocent enough, even though Blindside tensed up her wings and draw them back at the question.

"Ah, ah! Beta, what did I tell you?" Elita One asked now reaching down and scooping up the little femme into her arms. "Aerials don't like anyone touching their wings, unless they allow it. Remember what happened when you accidentally scratched Slipstream's wing? It hurts. You can look only, not touch."

The little femme pouted but smiled again as she looked at the beautiful butterfly wings, admiring them.

Venting softly, Blindside stepped closer and offered one of her wings to the little femme, Beta. "If you be very careful, you can touch them." She said softly, smiling.

Brightened again, Beta looked at Elita, who was surprised for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Gently, Beta. Just like when you petted the baby deer at the zoo. Be very gentle and slow." She instructed her daughter before leaning her closer to Blindside's wing.

And just as she was told, Beta softly trailed a small hand along the edge of the butterfly wing.

"Ooooh, can I touch tooo, Blin'side? Mama?" One of the mechs asked looking up at the icy blue femme.

Slowly one by one, the sparklings all got to touch Blindside's wing, all being told to be very careful. Blindside loved the attention she was getting from the sparklings and didn't even notice that she was gaining more and more attention from passerbyers.

Thundercracker smiled as he watched, enjoying the sight of the sparklings surrounding his new charge. He barely noticed Nightbird sidle up to him.

"So...do you like her?" Nightbird asked slyly and earned a dry look which made her smirk. "What?"

Thundercracker slowly shook his head as he stared at her. "You are making it sound like a scandal, Nightbird. I just met Blindside yesterday." He remarked blankly.

"So?" Nightbird asked smirking, her arms folded. "That didn't answer my question. Do you like her?"

Again she recieved a dry stare from the blue Seeker. "I just met her. But yes. She seems nice and sweet. Unlike a certain nosey sister of mine." He remarked.

Nightbird laughed, nudging his arm. "Oh come on, TC. She is pretty and she seems sweet. And you found her while being the isolated, antisocial nut that you are. You telling me you don't want to put a move on her?" She asked.

Thundercracker growled and looked away from her. "You have definitely been around Skywarp too much. It would be inappropriate seeing that I have been given charge of her until Ratchet and Knockout can perform an optical operation on her." He remarked dryly.

"So she is blind." Nightbird said, her sly and cheerful tone gone.

Thundercracker looked back at her then to Blindside who was occupied with the sparklings fawning over her wings. He vented a sigh and nodded. "She is. And she has had a troubled past. She does not need some mech hitting on her right now. What she needs is friends, which is why I wanted her to meet you and the femmes. She has not had many friends in her life, not ones who treated her right." He explained.

Nightbird listened to him carefully, her optics softening. She understood what he was saying and what he wasn't saying. She smiled faintly before placing a servo on his arm. "Don't worry. She will fit in just fine. Some of us were humans and we didn't fit in until you, Cybertronians came along. Then we found our place in our lives. She will be fine." She told him.

The blue Seeker smiled before looking over at Blindside as she had knelt down to let the sparklings crawl onto her lap and hug her. She had finally looked up at him at the same time as he looked at her. She knew he was looking at her and she smiled as she hugged the sparklings.

After meeting and talking with the femmes, Blindside seemed to be more confident in meeting new faces and even agreed to allow Thundercracker to take her to a small cafe that served Energon.

The Stylus Cafe was a nice establishment that served more than just the Cybertronians. They served organics as well and to Blindside's greatest surprise, the one who ran it was somebot she never thought she would ever meet because of what he was.

"Hello, Rippersnapper." Thundercracker said as he led Blindside to the bar counter and helped her sit down. He looked at the shark-octopus like mech who was using his many glowing energy tenticals to prepare drinks and energon cubes.

Rippersnapper turned at Thindercracker's voice and smiled as his glowing green optics brightened. "Greetings, Thundercracker. The usual?" He asked as he already started on that order.

Thundercracker nodded as he sat down on a large bar stool made for his kind of frame. He glanced down at Blindside and saw her very stiff and unnerved. He knew why she was reacting like that. Everyone new who had not met Rippersnapper's kind were always uneasy when they first met them. "It's okay, Blindside. He won't hurt you." He told her reassuringly.

Blindside barely twitched as she stared at the mech behind the counter. "Bu-but it's a..." she was saying with a slight tremble.

The mech turned back around, smiling at her as he placed a cube of energon in front of Thundercracker. "A Terrorcon? Yes, I am. But I am not like the ones you may have heard of or seen before." He told her as he looked right at her. "And I am a He, not an it."

Blindside cringed a little, somewhat ashamed. "I...I am sorry. I didn't me-mean to be rude." She said venting a little.

Rippersnapper shook his finned helm, still smiling. "Don't worry about it. I get it all the time. Not many beings, Cybertronian or any others are used to see a tamed Terrorcon with a processor of his own. What would you like? Sweet Ener-Tea? Mid-grade?" He asked friendly like.

Blindside smiled timidly and shrugged. "Sweet Ener-Tea, please." She stated.

Rippersnapper nodded and turned to get her refuel. He moved rather efficiently and had her cube ready within megaclicks. "So, I did not get your designation." He said as he set her cube down.

"Blindside. And it's an obvious name." The femme said with a grimace.

Rippersnapper met her optics for moment before nodding. "Yes, it is. But even then, it is not any of my business to wonder why you cannot see. If you'd wish to tell me, then you would. I have learned that it is not polite to ask things such as that." He told her, smiling.

Blindside tilted her head to the side, her antenna twitching as they pointed right at him. She couldn't help but look curious about the Terrorcon. "May I ask why you are so different from the Terrorcons that I have heard of? I always thought that Terrorcons were...well, a little savage." She said curiously.

"I am one of four Terrorcons who are different from original Terrorcons." Rippersnapper started to explain, smiling as he made a side glance with Thundercracker. "Though I did not start out like I am now. I can guarantee you that before I was very much like the Terrorcons you may have heard of. It was due to the original Terrorcon, whom is our leader, Blot that we are so different. When Terrorcons were first created, they were, I suppose, a science experiment. There is a virus that Terrorcons carry that reanimates deactivated Cybertronians and sometimes other dead Mechanical beings. Blot, the original Terrorcon was the only one who was different from all of those that came after him. He was unlike any Terrorcon that any has ever heard of. He was...technically brought back to life from being deactivated with the virus still in his CNA. It was all because his CNA carries the antivirus formula to the Terrorcon virus. Using the antivirus formula, it can either prevent the virus from spreading in Terrorcon victims or reprogram Terrorcons, their selves. I was once such a Terrorcon who was given the antivirus formula. Because of the formula, I have been given my own state of processor and become...well, civilized." he explained.

Blindside slowly nodded in understanding, quite awed by his explanation. She wouldn't pretend she understood all of it, but it did make some sense. "And there are four Terrorcons who are different?" She asked in wonder.

Rippersnapper nodded with a light smile as he began wiping down the counter top with a cleansing rag. "Affirmative. And increasing. Because of Blot and his antivirus CNA, Terrorcons are being hunted and captured so they can go through the same process as we all did. So we can get a better handle on the Terrorcon plague, I suppose you could say." He told her.

Thundercracker nodded as he smiled at Blindside, motioning to Rippersnapper. "Rippersnapper and Blot are the most stable Terrorcons out of the lot that are being tested. There is still some work to be done with the other two, Hun-Gurr and Twinstriker but they are getting better." He added his comment.

"So...how are people taking it about you, though?" Blindside asked, tilting her head. "Are Cybertronians really accepting your Terrorcons fine then?"

Both Thundercracker and Rippersnapper both shook their heads, somewhat passive but not looking upset as Blindside would have thought. She got the idea though that the Terrorcons were not really being accepted well into Cybertronian society. "No, it's still quite difficult for a lot of Cybertronians to accept the Terrorcons who now possess their own processors." The Seeker began explaining. "There are only a few handful who even trust them and accept them as if they were normal. I am one of such. I only accept and trust them because I am one of the firsts to ever interacted with Rippersnapper and his fellow Terrorcons. There is still quite a bit of prejudism against them. Not very many Cybertronians react negatively against the Terrorcons out of fear or because the new Law Enforcement System does have them under protection. If any crimes are done against them, the attackers will face the consequences." he smiled faintly. "They are considered outcasts but they are becoming accepted to Cybertron. Slowly but surely."

Blindside smiled as she turned her antenna towards Rippersnapper. She was glad to hear that, even though it did sadden her a little to hear that they were outcasts. But slowly, it seemed that Rippersnapper was starting to fit in, as well as his fellow Terrorcons. She couldn't help but wonder if she would be accepted and trusted one of these days. Even though...

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Blindside." Rippersnapper interrupted her thoughts as he glanced at some new customers coming into the café. "I look forward to speaking with you another time. But I believe I should serve some of my other customers."

Nodding with a smile, Blindside watched him go before looking at Thundercracker, still smiling. "You have such wonderful friends, Thundercracker." She told him.

Thundercracker just smiled before lifting his head. "Well, we still have a full orn ahead of us. Is there any where else you would like to go or see while we are out?" He asked her, as he began finishing his energon. He noticed the slight nervous look in her optics now but didn't press her for an answer.

"Well, there is sort of one thing that I would like to see. Is there a museum we can go to? With Cybertronian artificates. I would love to study more into our history and see what was lost but is now found." Blindside said quite shyly.

The blue Seeker smiled and nodded as he could only think of one place.


End file.
